As you might have read in my Permissions Culture in the UK post, I was bowled over by the lack of flexibility in fair dealing in the UK. Patricia Aufderheide of The Center for Social Media at American University reports from the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam that there actually has been a bit of progress:
The British Broadcasting Company’s Karen O’Connor told me that the standard-setting BBC accepted Jayanti’s use as acceptable quotation and aired the program last month. Jayanti and other British producers had been emboldened to search for limitations and exceptions in British law by comparison with the U.S. example. The BBC’s decision sets a powerful precedent. Read the whole post>>
Considering many of the filmmakers I heard from at Sheffield Doc/Fest were producing for the BBC, this is indeed great news! The power of banding together to fight for the rights of filmmakers actually does work, so for those who are interested in getting active on this issue, there are some forward thinking folks to connect with after all. Another reason I’m sorry to miss IDFA.
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